Background: This Breakaway Support for Overhead Lines is an apparatus that is specifically used to mount insulators and overhead lines to structures (poles, towers, crossarm, etc.).1 The objective is to provide a coordinated failure system. The result of the object is a quicker and less costly restoration of service for the group maintaining the overhead lines. The breakaway support for overhead lines can be used on high voltage lines (greater than 600 volts alternating current or 600 volts direct current) or low voltage lines (less than 600 volts alternating current or 600 volts direct current). 1 Patent Classification 174, Section I-Class Definition, paragraph 1.
Poles and other structures are used throughout the world to support overhead lines. These lines may be power lines, telephone lines, cable television lines or other lines. In the United States alone approximately 114 Million poles are in service.2 Every year a certain number of poles and other structures are needlessly destroyed or damaged. Hurricanes, ice storms, trees falling or other trauma impact the lines and their attached structures. Often the line is one of the major trunk lines. Typically these lines are larger in diameter to carry more current or these lines have many individual conductors to carry more communication traffic. As such, these trunk lines have a greater tensile strength than smaller distribution lines. Quite often the tensile strength of these major trunk lines exceeds the structural strength of the arm supporting the conductors or the line exceeds the strength of the structure supporting the crossarm. In a large ice storm or tornado it is possible for steel towers to collapse. In a large wind storm it is common for wooden structures to be destroyed. Problems also occur on a daily basis. Routinely wood poles and crossarms are snapped when trees fall or are inadvertently cut onto the line. 2 USPTO U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,545; page 7
Approximately 4.5 million poles are replaced annually.3 This results in a significant cost to utility and non-utility companies each year. Many of these poles are replaced because they were damaged while in service. Furthermore, when a pole is broken a domino effect may take place. The result is several crossarms are broken for each pole that is broken. Each of these unscheduled events may result in a disruption of service (electric, telephone, CATV, etc.) and will result in charges to repair or replace the structure (pole, crossarm, tower etc.). The owner of the overhead line has the direct cost associated with restoring the line. Other companies and individuals that have lost service will incur costs of their own as the result of a long outage (lost production, spoilage, etc.). 3 USPTO U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,545; page 7
The breakaway support for overhead lines allows for a much quicker and less costly restoration. Most importantly the structure has not been damaged and does not need to be repaired nor replaced. The repair is infinitely easier. The breakaway support for overhead lines is replaced and the line is reattached. This is a cheaper and quicker restoration of service and extends the life of the structure.